Chapter 60: Cunning

In the spacious refinery, the walls were built with dark brown stone slabs, a colour that resembled the skin of a giant. The floor was paved with heterogeneous granite slabs which were sometimes icy cold, and at times, fiery hot.

Three enormous and rotund refinery furnaces segregated the room into three precise sections. The central furnace was burning ferociously with devious and mysterious blue flames. The reflections against the bezel of the closed hearth brought about the display of strange colours.

The closed hearth was like the eight trigrams furnace that could suppress the Monkey King, Sun Wukong. Its stove lid was whizzing and bubbling with seething hot blue steam, an amazing sight.

The most bizzare thing could be found beside each side wall on the refinery room. On each side wall stood the body of a giant. It had an intact body despite a broken skull. Blood and cranial fluid spilled all over the floor.

Elder Song hastened towards the tripod furnace once he entered the refinery room. He delivered a volley strike, and the stove lid, which had almost broken free, immediately began to vibrate less.

Elder Song’s grave expression cleared up slightly. Suddenly, the stove lid violently jumped.

Elder Song was horrified. He executed another two blows. He roared at the stunned Xu Yi, “What are you waiting for? Pull the air box!”

Xu Yi sprung into action. He went to the furnace, grabbed the thick black handle, and pulled it vigorously.

He frowned after he tried to exert his strength. The handle was ridiculously heavy. He had to use a bull’s strength to move it.

Xu Yi pulled twice. The stove lid stopped. Elder Song watched the stove lid nervously. He did not dare move it, and he did not ask Xu Yi to stop.

Xu Yi quickly thought, “Elder Song, I have some urgent errands to attend to. I think you’d better get someone here to help!”

Elder Song frowned and bellowed, “What urgent errand would that be? Can it be to forge that piece of dragon crocodile skin? Haven’t I told you that there’s no one else but me in all of Guang’an who’s capable of doing that?”

“The old man doesn’t know how to play the game. Let me add some accessories.”

Xu Yi was cursing silently. He eased his strength and continued, “I beg to differ. Who will dare to conclude that there’s no other talent? I may discover more.”

Once he eased his strength, immediate results could be seen. The stove lid started to jump boisterously.

Elder Song was so mad that his face turned a different color. He desperately struck at the tripod furnace and barked at Xu Yi, “I’ll forge for you! Quickly, take action!”

Xu Yi started to use more force and he gently implored, “I know you’re kind-hearted, however, the price…”

Elder Song felt like slapping the hateful Xu Yi dead. The latter wanted to rip him off. But now, he did not have the upper hand. He stiffened his neck and offered, “Two thousand, two thousand taels of gold for the deal!”

Son of a bitch, we are at the eleventh hour, and he’s still so adamant and stubborn? Xu Yi cursed silently, but he quipped, “How kind of you. You’re the only expert alchemist in all of Guang’an who can forge that material with spatial attributes. Pushing down your price seems disrespectful.”

Elder Song was astonished. He thought, “That rascal has had a change of heart.” Suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed.

Who would have thought that after his apologetic remark, his next statement would nearly cause Elder Song to lose his footing and slam into the wall.

“Elder, I’ve always charged for my services. How much do you think my work pulling the air box is worth?”

After beating about the bush, Xu Yi was waiting for his reply.

“One thousand taels of gold, I’ll charge you one thousand taels of gold. Are you satisfied?”

Elder Song was seething in anger.

“Elder, I’ve said it. I won’t bargain with the charges for forging my armour. I’m merely asking how much are you paying me for pulling the air box? If you have no sincerity, I’ll take my leave.”

As he was saying that, he released his hand again.

At that instant, the tripod lid started to jump around. Perhaps it was due to the prolonged quenching that something had changed inside the tripod furnace. The knocking noises became louder and vigorous. Many a time the tripod lid was nearly knocked off the furnace.

“You name a price, I’ll agree to whatever price you name. Please do not let go again!”

Elder Song was stricken with terror. He desperately directed his palm force at the tripod furnace.

Xu Yi grabbed the handle and pulled along. He added, “In view of your sincerity, it’d be gaudy to talk about money. You help me forge the armour, and I’ll help you with pulling the air box. We help each other, and we are on the same team. It’s fair and square. Do you agree, Elder Song?”

We help each other? What a rascal! It’s easy to find anyone in Guang’an to pull the air box. How’s that comparable with one expert who can forge an armour out of a piece of dragon crocodile skin? And he says it’s fair and reasonable?

Elder Song clenched his teeth. His lungs were bursting with anger. He forced one word out of his mouth: “Deal!”

He had no more options. Earlier, two strong men had been smashed to the wall by the forceful air currents and perished. It would be too late to ask for replacements. In hindsight, Elder Song had allowed Xu Yi to follow him. Perhaps he had subconsciously intended for him to handle the air box.

He had not anticipated that rascal to be so conniving and cunning!

Xu Yi was overjoyed. He added more strength, and the furnace was roaring. That stabilised the tripod lid. He did not stop talking, “From what I can see, your seniority and cultivation has already attained the level of Qi Ocean Stage. I reckon you’re a man who honours his word!”

“Young man, if you utter another word, do you believe that I’d sacrifice this Star Moon Sword in exchange for your pathetic life?”

Elder Song was on the verge of spitting out blood.

“Alright, I’ll shut up. Geez, there’s no need to get angry with me!”

After his mumble, Xu Yi kept his reticence and focused on pulling the air box.

He was not afraid that Elder Song’s anger would escalate. He had predicted that the item in the furnace must have been extremely important to Elder Song. He was more concerned that the Elder might reject the forging job out of spite.

An hour passed along with at least several hundred pulls. It reminded Xu Yi of those tormented days where he had to carry five hundred catties of heavy metals.

Xu Yi was a man who honoured his word. As long as Elder Song did not signal him to stop, he would continue despite his gruelling and arduous task.

As time passed, Elder Song began to admire the young man. The disgust he had for him had dissipated.

He knew very well how heavy his supreme tripod furnace’s air box was. That was built from ancient metals and heavy sand. Every tug and pull would require the strength of a bull.

An ordinary warrior who had reached the peak of Body Forging stage could sustain several pulls before they were exhausted.

That had been the precise reason for Elder Song to purchase two brute forces. Their jobs were to pull the air box.

These two strong men were put on rotational shift work. Each shift lasted no more than an hour.

However, this young man was scrawny, and his cultivation must not have reached the peak of Body Forging stage, but he could still persist the arduous tasks for over an hour.

What was more impressive: this young man was not panting nor out of breath. His body was upright, his techniques were still suave and smooth, and he did not appear to be drained of energy.

Elder Song had yet to meet one with such alarming stamina and perseverance.

While Elder Song was trying to figure Xu Yi out, a sharp howl from the tripod furnace pierced through the air. Elder Song bellowed, “Hold it there!” He mastered his palm force and aimed at the tripod furnace. He delivered over a dozen bolts before the sharp noise deepened and gradually came to a halt.

“It’s done!”

Elder Song signaled and leapt towards the furnace. He pulled the control lever and turned off the furnace fire. He waved his big sleeves to open the tripod lid. When he struck out his palm force, the air currents surged. An item flew out from the hearth and was caught in Elder Song’s hand.